Just a Word
by MavsGirl22
Summary: ONESHOTS all centered around one word... Pairings inside, but mostly Katara and Aang... "Broken" now up in response to the preview for Ember Island Players
1. Author's Note

_**Author's Note:**_

So… I had this insane idea to start a collection of oneshots that are each centered around one word. I think that we sometimes take for granted the power in our words, and how influential one word can really be.

I don't want to bog each one down with a bunch of useless author's notes, so I thought I'd preface every third one with an author's note instead.

I'm looking forward to getting feedback on these, and I'm hoping to get some requests for words as this thing grows. I challenge my readers to think about some of the words that we use everyday and figure out the deeper meaning of them.

Anyways, enough of my ramblings. Please…. Happy reading!


	2. Different

_**Different **_\ˈdi-fərnt, ˈdi-f(ə-)rənt\

1 : Partly or totally unlike in nature, form, or quality

2 : Not the same as

* * *

Aang isn't like other boys… He's _**different**_

But I guess that's pretty obvious, huh?

His is, after all, the last of his kind. An Airbending prodigy if you will… The Avatar even! A last savior to a torn world...

I hadn't been around a lot of boys my age to know better, but from the moment I rescued Aang from that ice-burg… I knew he was _**different**_.

It wasn't so much the long winding tattoos going up his arms and legs, or even the giant arrow planted in the middle of his forehead. It wasn't his bald head or his strange outdated clothing either. Of course, those things _were_ _**different**_, to say the least. But they weren't what made me wonder about him… They weren't what made me want to abandon my entire village for a boy I hardly knew…

It was his eyes and mostly his smile. It was the way he didn't seem to have a care in the world, when in reality… he held the entire world's cares. It was the way he played… the way he reminded me that I was a kid. It was the way he made me laugh without trying to, and how he made me blush without meaning to. It seemed that everything good in the world, everything pure and innocent, was all wrapped up into a great big ball of Aang.

His Airbending amazed me… even stupefied me. I'd only heard stories of a supposed extinct species… How they'd take to the sky and change the course of the winds. No one told me that they could change the course of your life too. Or that they could open your eyes to what you thought you knew…

But the others in my village, namely my brother, weren't as intrigued with Aang as I was. They didn't see the light in his eyes when he talked about penguin sledding, they didn't hear the smile in his voice when he laughed, or notice the wisdom in his brow when he listened. To everyone else, he was just a strange bald boy with weird tattoos… and in a war-filled world, strange meant dangerous.

They didn't know he wasn't strange… just _**different**_.

So, they banished him from the village. And my heart broke. I cried and I screamed, and before I really knew what I was doing… I was asking Aang to take me with him. I was willing to leave my family, my home, for a boy I had just met. But, somehow he ended up leaving without me… and I ended up watching him go. All my hopes, my dreams of becoming a Master Waterbender going with him…

But then the Fire Nation ship arrived, and with it… Aang. He came back… he saved us… he surrendered for us. And all because… he was the Avatar. And then, in that one split second… it all seemed to make sense.

Aang really _is_ _**different**_. He's the Avatar… he has to be.

I think that sometimes, he sees that as a bad thing. I can see it in his eyes, how he wants to be "normal". But what he doesn't know is that I love that he's _**different**_. I love that he isn't like the other boys I've met since leaving the South Pole.

"Katara?" he asks me when we're alone during our bending lessons, "Why'd you come with me? Why'd you leave your home to fight in this war?"

And I answer him with confidence, because even though we've had this conversation a million times, I know he only asks again because he still feels unsure. "Aang, I came because I wanted to. I came because I knew that I could make a difference."

"But you gave up everything," he'll say. "You could have stayed in the South Pole and had a normal life."

"Aang," and I'll pause here to smile… to let him know that I speak from my heart, "A normal life means nothing to me. I've always wanted something _**different**_"

And then he'll smile back, only because I'm sure he has no idea what I mean. He'll answer with something nonchalant like, "Whatever you say Katara," before diverting his attention back to our lesson…

And I'll just keep smiling, because I know… one day he'll understand. One day, he'll realize that _**different **_isn't always so bad.


	3. Yesterday

_**Yesterday **_\'yes-tər-(')dā, -dē\

1 : on the day last past : on the day preceding today

2 : at a time not long past : only a short time ago

* * *

_**Yesterday **_he had played with his friends in the air hockey courts, beating them fiercely with his signature moves that no one seemed to perform as skillfully as he… _**Yesterday **_he had also lost miserably at another game of Pai Sho with his favorite elder Monk, only to discover later Monk Giatso was using his bending for things other than teaching… _**Yesterday **_he had laughed and played like all the other normal boys and girls his age did. _**Yesterday **_he was just another bald Air Nomad monk.

But then _**yesterday **_had turned into today…

Today he sits quietly in the courtyard in front of one of the main chambers and ten elder eyes situate on him expectantly. Today his life turns upside down as a scroll is read to him and four familiar childhood toys are laid out before him. Today everything he thought he knew ceases to exist.

_**Yesterday **_he wasn't the Avatar.

Today he is.

How had this happened? Sometime between sunrise and sunset, he had suddenly grown older beyond his years. They had said that he would normally not find out until he was sixteen. But he somehow doubted that four years would make a difference in the burden he suddenly felt, or how heavy his shoulders had become. They had said that he must be told now because of the impending war. But he couldn't help but wonder what a twelve year old could do to end a war that hasn't even began. They had said that he was to start his training as soon as possible. He feared the inevitable, knowing that it would no doubt leave little time for playing games and being a kid.

_**Yesterday **_he never dreamed that today would have ever happened to him.

_**Yesterday **_had been no different from all the other days she had spent in the Southern Water Tribe. _**Yesterday **_she had gone fishing with her brother, which had inevitably led to arguing as always. _**Yesterday **_she had taken care of children only a few years younger than she as their fathers fought in a war on the other side of the world and their mothers struggled to maintain the village in peaceful array. _**Yesterday **_she was just another water tribe peasant.

But then _**yesterday **_had turned into today…

Today she stares with wide searching eyes at the pale young boy who tumbled out of the ice-burg. Today she can feel a change in the winds as she looks into this boy's strange grey eyes. Today her life has a chance to take a violent turn in what she knows must be the right direction. Today everything she thought she knew ceases to exist.

_**Yesterday **_there wasn't an Avatar.

Today there is.

How had this happened? A hero of centuries past has suddenly resurfaced in her arms, and she can barely comprehend his words when he stands with such dignity beyond his twelve years and pronounces his barter to the Fire Nation Prince. They had said the Avatar was gone, never to be born again into the eternal reincarnation cycle. But here he is, and she had gone penguin sledding with him only hours ago. They had said that the Air Nomads were extinct, wiped out by a force stronger than their own a century prior. But here he is, and he's bending the winds with just a flick of his wrist. They had said that this war would never end, and her children's children would no doubt be fighting it as her people were today. But here he is, the one person that she believed with all her heart would bring an end to the century of hatred and fighting.

_**Yesterday **_she never dreamed that today would have ever happened to her.


	4. Duty

_**Duty **_\ˈdü-tē

1 : Obligatory tasks, conduct, service, or functions that arise from one's position

* * *

_**Duty. **_He'd heard the word used countless times, but never took the time to truly understand the deeper meaning of those two small syllables.

But, as their naval vessels drifted in the open waters of the Fire Nation, _**"duty" **_suddenly took on a new meaning…

_What if I don't come back?_

The thought had struck him like a lightening bolt, knocking the breath out of him and leaving him feeling afraid and desperate.

It wasn't death that frightened him. Playing the link between the Spirit World and the real world had dissolved that initial fear months ago.

It was failure. The dark looming fear that he would be crushed under the weight of the world had plagued him relentlessly. The Avatar, afraid of failing his destiny.

No… not his destiny… His _**duty**_.

A _**duty**_ that lies solely with the Avatar, to bring balance back to the Four Nations… A _**duty**_ that he had yet to fulfill in his 112 years of existence…

Thousands of lives rested in his small tattooed hands. Wives counted on him to bring their husbands home safe from battle. Daughters and sons expected him to bring about a realm of peace so that their children wouldn't suffer the pillages of war and poverty as they had. Warriors anticipated his leadership and relied on his strength as politicians awaited his guidance and monarchs depended on his support.

But none of that would matter if he didn't defeat the Fire Lord… None of that would matter if he didn't live through the battle. The _**duty**_ would fall to the next reincarnation of the Avatar cycle, and at the tender age of 112 his name would go down in the history books as the Avatar that had failed the world. The Avatar that failed his _**duty **_to bring peace back to a broken world.

But he realized, with a decisive glare in his eyes, that failure just simply wasn't an option.

Because… there was _her_. His strength… His light… His hope… His love… She was everything to him in a world where simple pleasures were succumbed to things like _**duty**_ and honor. The warmth in her smile would cross vast oceans and melt the largest glaciers. Her passion was unparalleled, only out matched by her compassion for the weak and down trodden. He felt strong in her presence, able to take on his role as savior to the world and fulfill his destiny… his _**duty**_.

But the question still remained…

"What if I don't come back?"

He cast his eyes from the choppy ocean waves to meet hers. With the cold steel of the navy vessel under his feet and a sad realization in his eyes, he asked the question faintly, not sure if he was really expecting an answer from her.

He knew it was a question she must have already contemplated, because she immediately began telling him not to think that way.

She was barely mid-sentence when the overwhelming urge to kiss her had struck him…

And who was he to ignore his most primal of instincts? Was it not his _**duty**_ to act on these strange instincts that he had been troubling over ever since asking her to go penguin sledding with him almost a year ago?

And she had said herself that since that day on the ice-burg he had changed… No longer the "goofy kid she rescued".

So, in an act of pure reflex, he kissed her, feeling the weight lift from his shoulders ever so slightly and his _**duty**_ lighten if just a little. Her lips were soft and tasted salty from the ocean spray, and she blushed slightly as he ended the kiss before he was truthfully ready to.

New found certainty weaved its way into the light of his eyes as he opened his glider, a furrowed brow pierced in determination and resolve. She blinked, her lips still parted ever so slightly as he took off into the sky. He fixated his stormy grey eyes ahead, feeling his fear uncoil inside of him and drop to the salty sea waves below as he headed towards the Fire Nation palace. For now… now, he new without a shadow of doubt that with that beautiful Water Tribe girl at his side, he'd surely fulfill his Avatarial _**duty. **_


	5. Author's Note2

**Author's Note:**

So, the next installment didn't have to wait long… mainly because I'm having a lot of fun writing these and partly because one of them was already sitting in a forgotten folder on my laptop… I'll be posting these three at a time each update, simply because they're so short and I want to give you something to read that takes longer than a minute:)

"_**Smile**_" was written before I saw the Western Air Temple, and it's kind of how I thought Aang would be after failing on the Day of Black Sun… There are no spoilers in it.

"_**Fever**_" is for all the reviewers who wanted more fluff, although I'm not sure I'd call it fluff… hehe, I'd describe it as "heat". The word suggestion came from one of my faithful reviewers **cheesebot12. **It might be a tad racey for younger readers for suggestive theme. Please consider Aang and Katara several years older as you read it.

"_**First**_" came from a suggestion from **hsmzanessafreak25. **She suggested that I do one about either a first kiss or first child or something like that. So I took creative edge and came up with this… (Sorry if it seems kind of sad, but I tried to end it on a happy note.)

Up and coming…

"_**Loyalty**_" for **anime-wolf-chid**

"_**Comfort**_" for **cheesebot12**

"_**Hope**_" for **Ridges**


	6. Smile

_**Smile **_\'smī(ә)l \

1 : A facial expression in which the eyes brighten and the corners of the mouth curve upward and which expresses especially amusement, pleasure, approval, or sometimes scorn

2 : A pleasant or encouraging appearance

* * *

He doesn't laugh much anymore and his face is drained of its usual light and vigor, replaced with a tired expression. There's a different tone in his voice, like he's suddenly aged ten years over night. But he still _**smiles **_when he thinks no one's looking…

Things have changed between us, since that day… That day that the sun was black and the earth was dark… That day that almost found victory, yet ended in defeat… That day that my world was turned upside down…

It's a moment in my life that I know I'll never forget… when the winds changed their course and the air tasted sweeter… when he kissed me.

I can sense the quickening in my chest every time he catches me staring at him… I can hear the shakiness of my own voice when I'm talking to him… and I can always _always_ feel the heaviness of his mouth against mine whenever I close my eyes.

But then, why doesn't he look at me anymore? Why does he end all our conversations before they ever really start? And why is there a sadness in his eyes that's never been there before?

He still _**smiles**_. That hasn't changed. His jovial nature will always be a part of him… that I am sure of. Late at night, when the campfire casts our faces in dark shadows, his feeble attempts of stoicism are broken as his mouth curves into that familiar grin.

Sometimes I wonder what it is he's thinking about when he _**smiles**_ like that… I like to think that he's thinking of me. Maybe, just maybe he's reminiscing that moment when our lips met just as I have a thousands times before…

The day of the comet approaches and our small group struggles to plan for the second invasion fervently with heavy hearts. He tries to be strong for us… for the whole world. I know that he's scared, because I'm scared too. But he'd never show it… He'd never let the world know of his sleepless nights and terror stricken nightmares. He'd never let them see the tears. Not anymore… Not after what happened.

So he wears a façade of fake stoicism that doesn't quite suit him, hiding his fears from expectant eyes…

It's taking the life out of him. The joy in his eyes is replaced by maturity and responsibility…the light in his youth stolen from his very face. How dare the world be so cruel to someone so pure! How dare this horrible war force him out of his childhood, thrusting him into a role he wasn't ready for.

But then I see him _**smile**_. And I realize… he's still there. He's still Aang. And I'm sure that will never change. Buried beneath the responsibilities and burdens, he's waiting to be a kid again. So, things may be different between us, and maybe after this war is over he can finally kiss me again like he did that day in the sea spray. But for now, I've still got his _**smile**_…


	7. Fever

_**Fever **_\ 'fē-vәr \

1 : A rise in body temperature above the normal : any of various diseases of which fever is a prominent symptom

2 : A state of heightened or intense emotion or activity : a contagious usually transient enthusiasm

* * *

She sweats now, her mind is spinning as he looks to her with those eyes…

_Those eyes!_

Such silvery hues mixed with grey and the slightest of light blues. His stare bores into her, and she's sure that he's the reason for the sudden _**fever**_ish blood that's pounding in her ears. Her skin is red from his touch, a fire in his fingertips that tingles richly as they explore explore _explore_…

She shivers now, despite the heat radiating from him and her…

_And what heat!_

There's no cure for the _**fever**_ he gives her as draws her mouth to his, leaving a spicy taste on her lips that can only be described as Aang. It's a syndrome she doesn't dare complain of as his fingers find their way into her hair, pulling at sweaty tangles, and fiery lips graze the skin just over her collar bones. Lips so hot hot _hot_…

She sighs now, because her mind is a blur and unable to process anything but him...

_Aang!_

His lips, hands, teeth, tongue, eyes, are all competing for her attention and it's almost too much to bear. Her ribcage thunders loudly in her ears and her vision blurs.This _**fever**_ he puts her in can only be described as such, and it's a wonder she's lasted this long with her heart beating beating beating…

She smiles now, a certain satisfied smirk in her eyes…

_Success!_

He stares back at her, his breathing deep and heavy and his brow glistening in the pale light. His eyes are wild with fire and his face the color of crimson. And his pulse is palpable, thumping thumping thumping…

She whispers now, breathing warmly into his ear…

_It seems this __**fever **__is contagious…_


	8. First

_**First**_ \ [furst \

1 : Being before all others with respect to time, order, rank, importance, etc.,

2 : The beginning : The one coming, occurring, or ranking before or above all others

* * *

The _**first **_time he saw her, he thought she was an angelic spirit. Her mahogany hair whipped about her face with the salty breeze, her eyes a color of blue he'd only seen in the ocean before that day. Her smile was warm, despite the freezing ice surrounding her and his only thought was that if every spirit was as beautiful as she, maybe being the Avatar wouldn't be so bad after all…

The _**first **_time he danced with her was magical. In the damp Fire Nation cave in front of a group of strangers he twirled her around with a grace and poise that came natural to him. The whole world, along with its burdens, had blurred on the edge of his periphery as nothing else mattered to him at that moment but her…

The _**first **_time he kissed her - _really kissed_ her - had been under a star studded sky in a broken throne room with the smell of soot and ash thick in the air. His ears still rang in an undecipherable pitch from the explosions as she turned him from the body of his adversary, cupping his face in her palms. He couldn't hear her cries, but the tears streaming down her cheeks did little to match the joyous smile that had spread onto her face after he reached up and planted his lips against hers with a passion he didn't know either of them possessed…

The _**first **_time he proposed to her, she said no. He'd been heart broken as she came up with useless excuses of Avatarial duties and not wanting to burden him. She had cried, he had cried, and it had been a trying time in their early relationship. It was only after a heartfelt apology and a promise to be together always that he had quickly learned the meaning of the phrase, "Third time's a charm."…

The _**first**_ time he made love to her was on their wedding night, and he couldn't remember a time in his life that he had ever felt so complete. The woman in his arms, that he could now call his wife, was his forever and he hers…

The _**first **_time he saw her holding their baby girl he had cried. He never thought his wife had been as beautiful as she was with their child in her arms and the sight of it left him speechless and trembling with emotion…

The _**first **_time he heard her being called "Gran", he had laughed at the disgusted look that had flashed across her face before it melted into a proud smile. She always looked natural with a flock of children surrounding her, no difference how many generations separated them. He had kissed her soft forehead affectionately, thinking there was no one else in the world he'd rather grow old with…

The _**first **_time he learned she was sick, he had been angry. Of all the people in the world, why would the spirits choose his wife, his sweet Katara? He'd have gladly taken her place, if only she'd allow it…

The _**first **_time he visited her grave he sang to her. With tears in his eyes and a song in his voice, he smiled as he assured her that he had not forgotten their promise. He would be with her again one day…

The second _**first **_time he saw her, he thought she was an angelic spirit…


	9. Author's Note3

**Author's Note:**

Sorry, it took me a little longer than I originally thought it would to get these written and updated. After many reviews asking me to throw in more couples, I decided it would be fun to write something other than Kataang. I'll agree to do other pairings (though some might be friendship, such as Katara and Toph). So if you have any suggestions, just let me know. For this one, I threw in a ZukoXwhoever (though I pictured Mai as I wrote it)

"_**Loyalty" **_This one was the hardest to write for some reason. I'm still not really sure that I like it… but oh well…

"_**Comfort" **_This one ended up totally different from what it started as, I hope you like it **cheesebot12, **because it's not really what you asked for… hehe…

"**_Hope" _**When I got the suggesstion for hope, I immediately thought of the episode The Serpant's Pass. It seemed too perfect to ignore... So, after writing the lyrics for Moondance in "Arrow to Home" I got back into writing poetry. This is what came out of that…

"_**Redemption" **_Zuko is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters in the series and I was thrilled to see that he fits almost EVERY definition of the word redeem! He's really fun to write and I'm playing with the idea of doing a fic about him… Anywho… I wrote this with the pairing of Zuko and Mai in mind, but since I never mention names I guess you could picture it with anyone really… I know it sounds very similar to "_**Fever**_" and that's probably because it's what I started writing when I wrote that one. But I didn't like the direction I was going so I started what is now posted… I played with the words a little and turned it into _**Redemption. **_Hope you like… 


	10. Loyalty

_**Loyalty **_\ˈlȯi(-ə)l-tē\

1 : The quality or state or an instance of being loyal

2 : Unanswering in allegiance as **a :** faithful in allegiance to one's lawful sovereign or government **b : **faithful to a private person to whom fidelity is due **c : **faithful to a cause, ideal, custom, institution, or product

* * *

His _**loyalty **_astounded her. Even amazed and surprised her at times.

It'd been 100 years since he'd lived in the Southern Air Temple as a monk, yet he still held fast and true to his diet of vegetables and fruits. His meditation exercises hadn't changed from what they were, and she was sure they never would. He wore his arrows with pride and his peoples' colors with honor. Everything about him was still Air Nomad, even though he was pledging his allegiance, his _**loyalty**_, to an extinct race.

He was no doubt faithful to his cause. It hadn't taken much convincing for him to master all four elements and he always knew he would defeat the Fire Lord no matter the obstacles. With the support of his friends and "family", his head was held high with _**loyalty**_ to his duty.

Being the Avatar had done a lot of things for Aang. It had opened doors he'd have never gone through without the destiny of the world lying on his shoulders. It had driven him to unthinkable acts, forcing him to do unspeakable things that a monk should never fall fate to (namely, be responsible for another man's life, even if that life was worth taking…).

But what Katara didn't realize, was that Aang's _**loyalty **_didn't stop with his Avatarial duties…

It had been Katara's encouraging smile and poetic embrace that had been the only reason he had found to continue his existence after that terrible day. That terrible day that he had seen the light leave Ozai's eyes and his skin turn ashen grey as his final breath had escaped his lips…

She was the wind the beneath him, lifting him so that he could reach his goals. Her words had brought him comfort and her smile had given him hope. When barriers lie in his path, she was the one who gave him the strength to go on. Everything he had done, every battle, every victory was because of her.

To say his _**loyalty**_ to her was strong would be an understatement. Undying, everlasting, unconditional… Despite all the hardships they had faced, her voice was still the one he fell asleep to, her face was still the one he dreamed about, and her smile was still the one he woke up to. His love for her stretched miles and fueled their unspoken bond. A bond of friendship that had blossomed into so much more... And after the world was saved and the battle won, it was only to her that his _**loyalty **_lay.


	11. Comfort

_**Comfort**_ \kəm(p)-fərt\

1 : Strengthening aid : consolation in times of trouble or worry

2 : A feeling of relief of encouragement : contented well-being

3 : A satisfying or enjoyable experience

4 : One that gives or brings comfort

* * *

The nightmares were back…

They had started so long ago, that when she tried to remember a time they hadn't plagued her sleep, she honestly couldn't remember when exactly they had started. She'd been so young… And so naïve to the world's cruelties…

Her mother's face had faded with time, so that when she closed her eyes and tried to picture it, it was blurred and out of focus. However, her eyes had remained clear and blue. When she was younger, those eyes were her _**comfort **_during the times she was sad or grieving her lost family.

Years that passed had seen the rise and fall of a greedy nation, and the following pristine peace that they had struggled to keep… Summer faded to fall, fall cooled to winter, winter warmed to spring, and spring brought the rain that washed away the soot and ash. And through the years her mother's eyes had grayed and changed shape.

Not a fading or dying gray… More like the graying of the clouds right before a storm erupts, or the charcoal gray that dusts the sky afterwards. But oddly enough, despite their variations, she still found _**comfort **_in their cooler hues of silvery ash.

However, on this particular night, the moon high in the sky casting its dusty pale light on the empty Fire Nation streets below, she has awoken to the sound of her own groaning… the image of her mother's burning face and the sounds of her screaming fresh on her mind…

Katara breathes in her own hysteria, frantic eyes searching the dim room as she tries to calm the bursting sensation occupying her chest. As her eyes adjust to the darkness and the room sharpens, she sighs in relief as she recognizes her surroundings... the warm colors of crimson and cherry, the scent of cedar and cinnamon that always greet an arrival to the Fire Nation, and the sound of slow steady breathing at her side…

The wind breezes through the open balcony, and the sound of billowing fabric lulls her towards it. With only the hush of sheets and sigh of her footsteps, she makes her way out onto the balcony without waking her sleeping husband.

Here, she closes her eyes, as she has done a million times before, searching for those pair of eyes and the _**comfort **_they always bring. And just as reliable as the air she's breathing, there they are… Silver and gray almonds with the slightest hues of oceanic blue under thick black lashes… And instantly, every fiber of her being relaxes and she breathes a breath of assurance.

With her eyes still closed, she feels the tears collecting… It's been ten years… Ten years to the day since the Fire Nation took her mother. And here she is… standing in the very city whose oppressor was ultimately responsible for ending her life.

Her fear or hatred for the element hadn't faded much with time. Nightmares as these only made forgiveness more and more difficult. Despite her resentment, they had accepted their invitation to the wedding of the young Fire Lord and his rather standoffish fiancé. It was Aang's comforting words of reassurance and her trusting nature in those words that had even made her consider going.

She sighs, fighting unshed tears and biting her lip as the images of her dream, her nightmare, flood her mind once more. And, just as if he had heard her thinking his name, arrow-tattooed arms wrap around her midsection softly and pull her back into him…

"Hey," his voice is soft and soothing in her ear, and though he only whispers the one word, she instantly feels at ease in his arms.

"Hey," she answers back, hastily wiping at unshed tears and soothing them onto her nightgown. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"Don't be silly, I was already awake."

He's lying, and she knows him well enough to hear it, but she is too emotionally tired to argue. She spends the silence that follows trying to keep silent sobs from rocketing out of her chest.

But he feels her shaking in his arms, and he turns her into him, lifting her face to his to wipe at her damp cheeks. Her eyes are closed and her face is twisted in pain and hurt. "The nightmares are back, aren't they?" he asks softly.

The lump has already gathered in her throat making it difficult to say anything without choking. She fights the tears, nodding her head silently as he plants his lips to her forehead affectionately.

She's trying… trying so hard to find her mother's gaze. Her feeble attempts of stoicism are being broken, and tears are falling now without her permission. Where are those eyes of _**comfort**_? She can't remember a time that she's ever been eluded by their presence when she needs them.

"Anything I can do?" he asks suddenly, peering down at her with earnest eyes.

She's screaming inside, tormented by her fear and agony. She opens her eyes to answer as tears slip past her lashes and fall onto chapped cheeks. And he's looking down at her, pleading for her guidance. What can he do to help her?!

A tug at her heart lifts her gaze to his, and she gasps silently at what she sees… The moon's light is in his eyes, the silvery hues of gray and blue… It's in his eyes all these years that she has found her _**comfort**_. And it's in his eyes at this very moment when she has needed them the most that she finds _**comfort **_again.

She smiles meekly, every unshed tear drying as she stares into those eyes of _**comfort**_, "You already did," she answers.


	12. Hope

_**Hope **_\ˈhōp\

1 : To cherish or desire with anticipation

2 : Someone or something on which hopes are centered

* * *

There was a time

When all was scorned.

He thought he'd not go on.

A friend was lost

To sand and sky,

And then his _**hope**_ was gone.

For days his heart

Beat empty and

His smile had faded too.

_**Hope **_forgotten

His light replaced

His dark side then ensued

Fueled by his rage

and anger. Pain

Replaced his love for life

His sullen features

Matched his hurt

His friends became his strife

Attempts to ease

His pain and loose

Did little for his grief

Hugs not used

A friend abused

An erroneous belief

To hide his hurt

He'd hide his love

His _**hope**_ was buried too

Emotions not

Expressed to her

Would heal his heart, he knew

A baby born

To earth and land

Helped his heart to cope

Reminded him

He loved her still

She gave him back his _**hope**_


	13. Redemption

_**Redemption **_\ri-ˈdem(p)-shən\

1 : The act, process, or an instance of being redeemed

2 : To free from what distresses or harms as **a :** to free from captivity by payment of ransom **b :** to extricate from or help to overcome something detrimental **c :** to release from blame or dept **d :** to free from consequences of sin

3 : To change for the better

* * *

He's sweating now,

And shivers still,

His mouth is pressed on hers.

Fingers move without a sound,

And they aren't as they were.

In solitude of night and moon,

The stars come out to play.

Casting light on barren skin,

She hopes that he will stay.

He's shaking now,

Holding tight,

To things of earth and mind.

His body lay beside her but,

His spirit she can't find.

He speaks in ways she can not hear,

His eyes are cold and dry.

The wind can carry tears away,

But he knows he mustn't cry.

He's leaving now,

Lonely man,

Who walks a lonely mile.

His trodden path of righteousness,

He's lost his will to smile.

Judgment day approaches fast,

A world that he must save.

His hands are full of destiny,

A new path to be paved.

He's falling now,

The pull's too strong,

His will is not enough.

_**Redemption**_ pulls him to his feet,

And reminds him that he's tough.

The darkness dims a little more,

His light grows stronger still.

The girl back home calls his name,

It's strengthening his will.

They're holding now,

To not let go,

Of each other's warm embrace.

The mighty Lord has fallen here,

Soon, he will take his place.

The power is bestowed to him,

His honor is redeemed.

He holds his head much higher now,

_**Redemption. **_Or so it seems…


	14. Broken

_**A/N: **_So I know… It's been forever since I've updated anything!! Arg! Believe me, I'm trying. There's about ten barely started oneshots and the next chapter for Elemental Emotions in my saved folder, but inspiration lately has been few, far and in between. However, after seeing the preview for tonight's Ember Island Players, I just couldn't get this idea out of my mind!! I posted it here because I thought it fit with the rest of these oneshots. Sorry it's so short and rather aangst… Enjoy!

* * *

_**Broken **_\ˈbrō-kən\

1**:** violently separated into parts

**2:** made weak or infirm **:** subdued completely

**3:** not complete or full

* * *

The moon – he thinks – is much too bright, the cloudless sky too big, and the stars too dazzling. The water is too loud as it beats against the shore below him and the salty sea wind is too harsh against his chapped face. His heart – he knows – has shrunk sometime in the past hour, because he can feel it rattling in his ribcage with each bittersweet breath he takes. The shattered shards of what used to be so full. He closes his eyes and lets the scent of the beach, of the ocean, of the jasmine and moonlillies he knows so well that still linger here, of _her_… cloud his mind. He is _**broken.**_

"_I thought we were gonna be together…"_

Her face is still etched into his memory, her lips still hot on his when he closes his eyes, her voice still carries on the wind, and her smell is always filling his senses. There is no escaping her. She is, and always will be, here.

But his heart, where he used to carry her, has slipped. It has fallen into a bleakness so dark he fears he may never feel her there again. She has become more of a tragic memory in the few moments that have passed since he found this blackness. The girl that once held him when he needed holding, loved him when he needed loving, and stood by him when he needed standing… He knows that he has lost her.

In another time, when he was younger and weaker, his hurt would be expressed in tears. But crying has long since succumbed to things like honor and dignity and pride. He has outgrown such childish things because the world expects more from their sovereign hero. The world deserves more… _She _deserves more… And he will be more.

"_This isn't the right time."_

He swallows past the lump in his throat, pushing his hurt below the empty spot in his chest where the pain is greatest. It is foolish, he decides, to dwell on such things. She is right. His energy must remain focused on his destiny, on his fate, and should not be yielded by things as sentimental as love and devotion.

His brows pierce as a new wave of determination washes over him. This sacrifice she has forced upon him will not be in vain. He will not allow this dark feeling that has settled over him to lead him astray, because even the blackest of nights can not darken the love that burns in his eyes for her. And he can not deny that her absence here now only makes him want her more…

"_When is the right time?"_

The world, he knows, will always need saving. People will always need a hero, because the stories they will tell will one day become mundane. New adventures will unfold and children will fall asleep as the tales are once again retold with fervor and wonderment. His life will forever be molded by his destiny and his duty to the physical world. He knows, with a sad realization, that there will always be a battle on the horizon.

So he will fight. He will fight for the world, for victory, for peace, and for her. And when the war is over, and the battle is won, and the fighting has ceased, he will go to her with a flame in his eyes that can only match the love he still carries in his heart. Because, though her rejection still rips at his chest, leaving long ugly scars in their wake, he knows that there will never be another for whom his _**broken**_ heart beats.


End file.
